Falklands, lower catch from the Illex squid season; concern with fuel costs
Key takeaways
- The illex squid fishing season in the Falklands Islands officially closed this Monday although many vessels had left by early June.
- Winter mentioned that some 62.000 of catches in the current season, which is the fourth lowest of the past eleven years, and actually the lowest since 2023.
- Mike Poole said there was a total of 108 fishing vessels in this last season, and throughout May they started to depart, really catches were not fantastic.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The illex squid fishing season in the Falklands Islands officially closed this Monday although many vessels had left by early June. The season was marked by rising fuel prices and catches well below the ten year average, however the Falkland Islands Fisheries department and the Fishing Companies Association, FIFCA, say the low catch is not an immediate cause for concern.
Dr. Andreas Winter and head of Fisheries Science at the Fisheries Department together with Mike Poole, Vice-chair of FIFCA Illex Operations group and CEO of Seafish Ltd addressed the issue in an interview with the local Television Station.
Dr. Winter mentioned that some 62.000 of catches in the current season, which is the fourth lowest of the past eleven years, and actually the lowest since 2023. We tend to have somehow cycles, seasons are low for a while, they build up gradually over a few years, and then we have a high year or two, and then they crash again. So we seem to be in the middle of that now